- A ring with the symbol of the Diocese of Virginia. This tradition began when letters were sealed with wax, and the bishop would use the ring to stamp the wax.
- A crozier, or walking stick shaped like a shepherd's staff. This is a symbol of how the bishop takes care of the congregations.
- A pectoral cross, which is large and heavy and is worn on the chest. Bishops follow Jesus as leaders of the church.
This Sunday is very special. Bishop Shannon Johnston will visit St. Andrew's for confirmation! A bishop is like an overseer for lots of churches; it is his/her job to visit the churches, see how we're doing, support the clergy, confirm people and bless us. We have three bishops in the Diocese of Virginia and one of them visits each year. Bishop Shannon (that's what he likes to be called) will confirm two teenagers: Marshall Jones and Kat Hone. He will also confirm several adults. When someone is baptized as a baby, their parents and godparents make promises to raise them as Christians. Confirmation is when they make the promises for themselves. Adults who have been confirmed in other denominations may also be "received" into the Episcopal Church. The bishop lays his/her hands on the person's head as a sign of God's Spirit in them. Look for Bishop Shannon to have or wear these three things on Sunday: Bishop Shannon isn't really a guest at St. Andrew's; he's more like a family member who travels a lot. His visit is an important homecoming and we will celebrate! We will also do everything we can to make him feel comfortable and welcome. Be sure to look him in the eye, smile, and say, "Hi, Bishop Shannon. My name is _____." It will be a great day to be church! Remember, worship is at 2pm. We will have the Family Service during the readings and sermon and everyone will be together for the confirmations. See you at church!
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Thanks so much to everyone who made our Christmas Eve worship so special. God was truly with us! After all those purple Sundays of getting ready, we just can't keep all of our Christmas joy in a single day - it spills over into 12 days (and two Sundays!) this year.
You may still be traveling, or have family visiting, or be trying to return to a normal schedule with your family. But there is still time to include some special activities to help extend the season! For example, you might:
Over the river and through the mud ... a high of 62 and rain tomorrow? Seriously? If (you or) your children need an indoors activity for these days, try cutting out and decorating this paper nativity. The artist suggest printing it on card stock, but any paper will do. Merry Christmas, and see you at church!Here is a fun game to play with your child(ren): Photo by Carole Joyce and poem by Kate Costa Don't forget! Passport to Haiti is NEXT Sunday A Haitian lunch is provided Meet St. Andrew's own missionary team Learn why they're going, and why it matters to the rest of us See (and make!) Haitian art Play Haitian game Imagine life in Haiti Learn a little Creole Dance to Haitian music After 10:00 worship and children's choir practice Sign up to set up, bring a dish (recipe provided) or clean up Plan to stay till 1pm Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and safe travels for those of you who are on the road. If you are back by Sunday, we will celebrate the first Sunday of Advent together. From there we go straight through to Christmas and Epiphany - three seasons that celebrate that God loves us SO MUCH that, in Jesus, God came to live with us. Watch the FISH site later in the week for Advent updates.
But for now, we focus on thanking God for our blessings. Some have sent photos with their "Blessing Baskets" but I need more to make a good collage. Adults and children both will enjoy this activity: use a simple Blessing Basket (see previous post, below) and ask all who gather to write or draw something for which they are thankful. Then pass around the basket and have each person name their blessing and put their slip of paper in the basket. And take a selfie with the entire family and email it to me! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. See you at church. Our readings this coming Sunday will focus on being thankful to God for our many blessings. Whether you are planning to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, or to stay home, this is a good time to practice the ritual of naming our blessings and thanking God for them.
At home, try making a Blessing Basket for the dinner table. Decorate it for fall, however you wish: use a paper napkin with fall leaves on it, or go "all out" with gourds and dried fruit. Place a note pad, or a stack of index cards, and a pencil next to it. Whenever the family gathers (breakfast? dinner?), invite each person to name something they are thankful for and to write it on a piece of paper and place it in the basket. Younger children may draw pictures. Adults, dig deeply for your thanksgivings; this shows your children the importance of the activity. At the same time, accept what your children offer and try to resist the temptation to make it better. For a change of pace, take turns naming something you are thankful for in another person at the table (make sure everyone is chosen!). Finally, take a selfie of yourselves with your basket and email it to me. I'll make a collage we can all enjoy! A very experienced Christian Formation minister in Houston wrote this reflection on how we each can find ourselves somewhere in Abraham's story. It reminds me of the last Sunday FISHing, when the adults introduced themselves and named their journeys. (In case you missed it, we said, "I'm ___, and I'm on a journey of ___.) Read this reflection, and post the name of the journey that floats to the top for you right now. And, if you haven't had the chance to do one of the activities from last week, try to do one this week - or before Renewal Weekend!
A blessing is words or actions that bring about God’s favor. So, when we say a blessing at mealtime, we ask God to bless the food and so it will strengthen us to do God’s work in the world. When Mother Jenny pronounces God’s blessing on us at the end of the service, she is doing what priests do: using words, on behalf of God, to bring about God’s favor to us. The blessing she is using right now is, “God’s blessing be with you. Christ’s peace be with you. The Spirit’s outpouring be with you, now and always. Amen.”
When God promised to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), that was God’s promise to make us God’s people. Whether you are alone, with another, or with your family this week, read the story of Abraham (Click on “About the Abraham Project” on the FISH site for more direction). Follow these easy steps: · Read the Abraham story out loud · Close the Bible and tell the story in your own words · Choose an activity, do it, and post your response to the FISH blog. If you are doing the activity with others, work together on your response. Remember, don’t be intimidated. Be open to your own learning and, if you are doing this with young children, model for them that adults can be open to God giving them a new message. And have fun! Activities (choose one): 1. Count the stars: pick a time to go outside at night and try to count the stars in the sky. a. How many can you count? Try holding up two fingers against the sky (like a peace sign). Can you count the stars between your fingers? Is there a number big enough for all the stars? b. God promised Abraham that he would have more children than there are stars in the sky. Abraham and Sarah had Isaac, and Isaac and Rebekkah had twin boys, Jacob and Esau. Jacob had twelve sons, who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. In your own words, how did God’s promise come true? c. Post on the FISH blog: If you counted all of God’s people, would it be a big number? Post the funniest (or most clever) number you came up with. 2. Family Tree: How far back can you name the people in your family? a. Draw (or list) a family tree (just skip the parts you don’t know and don’t worry about getting the little lines, boxes and squares just right. Unless you want to). b. How many places are your ancestors from? Do you know their stories, and why they moved? How many people are there if you include three generations? Five? Can you name anyone who is “like family” even if they aren’t in your bloodline? c. Post on the FISH blog: Why do we call Abraham “Father”? 3. Draw it: Use paper, crayons, markers, stickers, whatever you have on hand. a. Draw your favorite image from the story: stars, sand, the angels come to Abraham’s tent, anything you like. Take your time. b. If you are doing this with others, give each person the chance to tell about their picture. c. Post on the FISH blog: a cell phone photo of your picture, and the part of the story that inspired it. 4. Risk and Promise: try to list as many symbols of promises you have made (examples: wedding rings, checkbook, etc.) a. List at least three symbols. b. Talk about the promise that each represents, and the risk you are taking in making the promise. Who else is affected by this promise? What risks did Abraham and Sarah take when they left their home? What is our responsibility in being God’s people? c. Post on the FISH blog: a few sentences about the promise and who else agreed to it. Here's a beautiful string accompaniment to the song we began learning in the Family Service on Sunday. "L'chi Lach" means "Go!" in Hebrew, and the other words are straight from God's call to Abraham: L'chi Lach, to a land that I will show you. L'chi Lach, to a place you do not know. L'chi Lach, on your journey I will bless you. And you shall be a blessing, You shall be a blessing, You shall be a blessing, L'chi Lach. This wonderful song will be our procession for the Family Service, from now until the Renewal Weekend in October when the children will perform it, as part of a skit about the story of Abraham, for Sunday FISHing.
Please share: who is a blessing to you? Start the story of Abraham this week, and mark your calendars for the Renewal Weekend October 17, 18 and 19. We will be exploring together what it means to be the people of God, and who can show us better than Abraham? Check the Education page of the FISH site for ways for EVERYONE in our parish to engage the story. Here's one of the hymns we'll sing on Sunday, Oct. 20 (and we began learning in the Family Service this week): As you can see, everyone in the congregation is singing along joyfully. This won't be a weekend to strive for top performance quality!
Of course, this hymn is based on the call of Isaiah and not so much Abraham (although Abraham did "go" when God called!). Tell us if you have heard it before and, if so, when was the first time you heard it. |
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June 2015
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